Before entering the Union Cabinet, he served as president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee from 2000 to 2002. Jaiswal held significant portfolios in the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh. He served as minister of state for home affairs from 2004 to 2009 and later held the coal ministry from January 2011 to May 2014.

In 1999, he was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha from the Kanpur constituency and retained the seat in 2004 and 2009, becoming a three-term MP and one of the most influential Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Congress city president Pawan Gupta said.

In 2009, following attacks on Indian students in Australia, Jaiswal travelled to Melbourne to review the situation first hand. His visits to hospitals, temples and public transport systems helped bring international attention to the issue.

Condoling his death, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Jaiswal was a “true and loyal Congressman who worked diligently for the development and welfare of Kanpur”. His departure is a “big loss for the Congress party”, he said in a post on X.

Even after his defeat in the 2014 elections, Jaiswal remained active in Kanpur’s political and social life.